Rudder assembly for watercraft



Dec. 7, 1965 J. B. vlDACH RUDDER ASSEMBLY FOR WATERCRAFT Filed Oct. 26, 1964 FIG. I

lNVENTOR John B. V|d ach 5 I) gave Y5 United States Patent 3,221,699 RUDDER ASSEMBLY FOR WATERCRAFT John B. Vidach, 180 E. Delaware Place, Chicago, Ill. Filed Oct. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 406,425 4 Claims. (Cl. 114162) This invention relatesto a novel rudder assembly for watercraft.

Many types of watercraft are normally sold without rudder or like means for steering them. Rowboats are exemplary of that. In many circumstances it is highly desirable for a steering mechanism such as a rudder assembly to be used with such Watercraft. It is with a novel rudder assembly adaptable for rapid connection to and removal from rudderless watercraft that this invention is concerned.

The novel rudder assembly of this invention contemplates a tiller and rudder means movably mounted upon securing means for releasably securing said tiller and rudder means to a watercraft to facilitate steering said watercraft. It also contemplates means for releasably fixing the steering angle of the rudder means in any one of a large number of steering angles.

- It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel rudder assembly for watercraft.

. It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel rudder assembly releasably securable to a watercraft.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a novel means for releasably fixing the steering angle of a rudder means for a watercraft.

Still a further object of this invention is the provision of a watercraft rudder assembly detachably mountable on a watercraft and having novel means for releasably fixing the steering angle of the rudder of said rudder assembly in any one of a large number of steering angles. Still further objects and advantages of this invention willbecome apparent from the following description and drawings of which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a rudder assembly of this invention secured to the rear end of a watercraft;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the rudder assembly of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side sectional view of a portion of the rudder assembly and watercraft taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Referring first to FIG. 1 the rudder assembly R is adapted to be detachably mounted or releasably secured to. a watercraft such as a normally rudderless rowboat B. In the illustrative embodiment the rudder assembly is secured to a transversely extending ledge of rowboat B, the ledge 10 extending across the width of the rowboat and extending forwardly of the rear end of the rowboat.

The rudder assembly includes a tiller 12 and a rudder shaft 14 disposed generally at a right angle to the tiller. As illustrated tiller 12 and rudder shaft 14 are formed integrally of a rod stock bent generally to the right angle configuration. The lower end of the rudder shaft 14 is provided with a suitable rudder 16 connected thereto as by welding. Rudder 16 may be cut from plate stock or may be formed in any suitable manner and to any desired configuration. In plan view in FIG. 2 it is seen that the tiller 12 and the rudder 16 are substantially coplanar.

The means 20 for detachably mounting or releasably securing the rudder assembly to the rowboat B includes a member generally U-shaped in cross-section. U-shaped member 22 comprises a lower flange 24 and a generally parallel upper plate 26 each spaced from the other by a connecting web 28. Flange 24 and plate 26 are each provided with a pair of aligned apertures 30 through which pins 32 are adapted to be received. The ledge 3,221,699 Patented Dec. 7, 1965 10 of rowboat B is also provided with openings 34 which may be aligned with apertures 30 so that the pins 32 will detachably mount or releasably secure the rudder assembly R to ledge 10, hence to rowboat B. Pins 32 may take the form of threaded bolts so that cooperating nuts may be used to maintain the detachable connection between rudder assembly R and rowboat B until the rudder assembly is to be removed. Nuts are shown in phantom in FIG. 3.

In the embodiment illustrated herein the upper plate 26 of the U-shaped member 22 is an integral portion of an overall plate member 36 which extends rearwardly beyond lower flange 24. As seen in FIG. 2 plate member 36 is generally restangular in shape adjacent the upper plate 26 and then tapers to a rounded point at its rearward-most end, edges 38 and 40 converging rearwardly to that rounded point. Adjacent the rounded point, plate member 36 isformed with an aperture 42 having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of rudder shaft 14, the diameters being sufiiciently different so that the rudder shaft 14 is easily rotated within aperture 42. Immedi ately above and below aperture 42 rudder shaft 14 is provided with means for rotatably mounting the rudder shaft with respect to plate member 36. This embodiment includes a pair of bores 44 in rudder shaft 14 and locking pins such as cotter pins 46 located within and extending outwardly of those bores, the cotter pins extending beyond the circumference of aperture 42.

Means for releasably fixing the steering angle of the rudder in any one of a very large number of steering angles is also contemplated by this invention. To that end a locating member 50 is provided. It may be of sheet metal. It includes a generally triangular substantially horizontal rear segment 52, a substantially trapezoidal intermediate segment 54 inclined with respect to said rear segment and a generally horizontal forward segment 56 paralleling segment 52 and having an arcuate forward edge.

The rear segment 52 is rigidly connected to rudder shaft 14 as by welding to mount the locating member 50 for rotation with the rudder shaft 14. The intermediate segment 54 adjacent its sides is provided with abutments 58 which extend outwardly of the edge of forward segment 56 as seen in FIG. 2. The forward segment 56 includes a peripheral portion comprising a locking segment 60 generally arcuate in plan view and lying between clamping members to be described. While locking segment 60 in the illustrated embodiment is integrally formed with forward segment 56, and indeed with locating member 50 it is contemplated that other means for securing locking segment 60 to rudder shaft 14 may be provided.

It is to be noted that forward segment 56 and the coplanar locking segment 60 lie generally parallel to and adjacent plate member 36 and upper plate 26 of U-shaped member 22. Since the locating member 50 is connected to the rudder shaft above the plane of plate member 36 the intermediate segment 54 is inclined appropriately to bring about the desired parallel adjacent relationship between plate member 36 and forward segment 56. The relationship also serves to maintain the generally normal relationship between the rudder shaft 14 and plate member 36 although it is contemplated that other means for maintaining the desired normal relationship to facilitate relative rotation therebetween might be substituted therefor.

Means for clamping the locking segment 60, hence locating member 50 and rudder 16, for releasably fixing the steering angle of the rudder in any one of a large number of steering angles, includes, cooperable threaded members 70 and 72. Threaded member 70 is a female member internally threaded for a portion of its length. Its lowermost end 74 is spaced from plate member 36 which directly beneath member 70 provides a clamping surface. Threaded member 70 is fixed in an upstanding position by a strut 76 which is connected to it and to upper plate 26 as by welding.

Threaded member '72 is externally threaded and includes an upstanding threaded shaft 80, a clamping foot 82 and an operating handle 84. The foot 82 is of a diameter greater than the shaft and since it may be withdrawn into the interior of threaded member 70 the lowermost internal portion of member 70 is bored at a greater diameter than the threaded diameter. The enlarged bore portion is shown at 8-6.

The threaded shaft 80 is movable toward and away from the clamping surface of plate member 36. The foot 82 of threaded member 72 overlies the locking segment 60 of locating member 50. When the threaded shaft 80 is rotated with respect to the threaded member 70 and ad-. vances towards the clamping surface, clamping foot 82 engages the locking segment 60 to clamp the same between clamping foot 82 and the underlying clamping surface. That serves to releasably fix the steering angle of rudder 16 at a predetermined and desired angle. To adjust the steering angle and to release the rudder so that its steering angle may be altered by moving the tiller 12 the threaded shaft 80 is rotated with respect to threaded member 70 by handle 84 to move clamping foot 82 upwardly and away from locking or clamping engagement with locking segment 60.

As has been mentioned locking segment 60 is generally arcuate. Its radius with respect to rudder shaft 14 is selected so that in all operating positions of the rudder, that is at all steering angles, the locking segment 60 lies between clamping foot 82 and the clamping surface of plate member 36. Abutments 58 located at the very ends of the locking segment 60 serve to engage strut 76 to prevent withdrawal of the locking segment 60 from a position in which it underlies clamping foot 82. Such arrangement therefore serves to limit the angle through which rudder 16 may be moved by tiller 12 when the clamping means of this invention are out of clamping engagement with looking segment 60.

The foregoing description and drawings serve to illustrate and explain a preferred embodiment of my invention. They make clear the fact that the detachable rudder assembly of this invention is easily secured to and easily detached from a watercraft. They also serve to illustrate the ease with which a desired steering angle for the rudder itself may be selected and releasably fixed in any one of a substantially infinite number of positions within the range of about 150. The foregoing description will also make it apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made in the structure described and illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore the foregoing description and drawings should not be construed as limiting this invention except as appears in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a watercraft having a rudder assembly including a tiller, a rudder shaft interconnected with said tiller and a rudder secured to said rudder shaft; means for releasably fixing the steering angle of said rudder including clamping means having cooperable members one of which members is movable toward and away from an oppositely disposed clamping surface, a locating member mounted on said rudder assembly and movable with said tiller, said member having a locking segment lying between said movable clamping means member and said oppositely disposed clamping surface in substantially all steering angles of said rudder whereby when said movable clamping means member is moved towards said oppositely disposed clamping surface the locking segment is clamped therebetween releasably fixing the steering angle of said rudder and when said movable clamping means member is moved away from said oppositely disposed clamping surface the steering angle of said rudder may be changed.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the locating member mounted on said rudder assembly and movable with said tiller is fixedly connected to said rudder shaft and said locking segment is generally arcuate in configuration.

3. A detachably mountable rudder assembly for a watercraft comprising a tiller, an interconnected rudder shaft disposed at an angle to said tiller, a rudder fixedly connected to said rudder shaft, means for releasably securing said rudder assembly to said watercraft and for rotatably mounting said rudder shaft with respect thereto, means for releasably fixing the steering angle of said rudder including clamping means having cooperable threaded members one of which members is movable toward and away from an oppositely disposed clamping surface, a locating member mounted on said rudder assembly and movable with said tiller, said member having a locking segment lying between said movable clamping means member and said oppositely disposed clamping surface in substantially all steering angles of said rudder whereby when said movable clamping means member is moved toward said oppositely disposed clamping surface the locking segment is clamped therebetween releasably fixing the steering angle of said rudder and when said movable clamping means member is moved away from said oppositely disposed clamping surface the steering angle of said rudder may be changed.

4. A detachably mountable rudder assembly for a watercraft comprising a tiller, an interconnected rudder shaft disposed at an angle to said tiller, a rudder fixedly connected to said rudder shaft, means for releasably securing said rudder assembly to said watercraft and for rotatably mounting said rudder shaft with respect thereto, said means comprising a U-shaped member having an upper plate and a lower flange and a connecting web proportioned to receive a transverse portion of said watercraft and having aligned openings through which pin means are adapted to pass to releasably secure said U- shaped member to said watercraft, the upper plate of said U-shaped member extending rearwardly beyond said lower fiange and defining means cooperable with said rudder shaft for rotatably mounting said rudder shaft, means for releasably fixing the steering angle of said rudder including clamping means having cooperable members one of which members is movable toward and away from an oppositely disposed clamping surface, a locating member fixedly connected to said rudder shaft and being movable by said tiller, said locating member having a locking segment lying between said movable clamping means member and said oppositely disposed clamping surface whereby when said movable clamping means member is moved towards said oppositely disposed clamping surface the locking segment is clamped therebetween releasably fixing the steering angle of said rudder and when said movable clamping means member is moved away from said oppositely disposed clamping surface the steering angle of said rudder may be changed.

References Cited by the Examiner MILTON BUCHLER,

ANDREW H. FARRELL, Examiner.

Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A WATERCRAFT HAVING A RUDDER ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A TILLER, A RUDDER SHAFT INTERCONNECTED WITH SAID TILLER AND A RUDDER SECURED TO SAID RUBBER SHAFT; MEANS FOR RELEASABLY FIXING THE STEERING ANGLE OF SAID RUDDER INCLUDING CLAMPING MEANS HAVING COOPERABLE MEMBERS ONE OF WHICH MEMBERS IS MOVABLE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM AN OPPOSITELY DISPOSED CLAMPING SURFACE, A LOCATING MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID RUDDER ASSEMBLY AND MOVABLE WITH SAID TILLER, SAID MEMBER HAVING A LOCKING SEGMENT LYING BETWEEN SAID MOVABLE CLAMPING MEANS MEMBER AND SAID OPPOSITELY DISPOSED CLAMING SURFACE IN SUBSTANTIALLY AL1 STEERING ANGLES OF SAID RUDDER WHEREBY WHEN SAID MOVABLE CLAMPING MEANS MEMBER IS MOVED TOWARDS SAID OPPOSITELY DISPOSED CLAMPING SURFACE THE LOCKING SEGMENTS IS CLAMPED THEREBETWEEN RELEASABLY FIXING THE STEERING ANGLE OF SAID RUDDER AND WHEN SAID MOVABLE CLAMPING MEANS MEMBER IS MOVED AWAY FROM SAID OPPOSITELY DISPOSED CLAMPING SURFACE THE STEERING ANGLE OF SAID RUDDER MAY BE CHANGED. 